When Mark Buehrle got the call from chairman Jerry Reinsdorf about the statue, he was cutting grass at his Missouri home.
Of course he was. Buehrle is us, a regular guy who mows his own lawn, takes out the trash and doesn’t mind being home with his wife and kids. The difference is, in 2005 he helped the White Sox win a World Series during a career that saw him pitch a perfect game, no-hitter, make five All-Star teams, win four Gold Gloves and toss 200 innings 14 seasons in a row.
It’s hard to identify a more popular former Sox, and while Buehrle doesn’t love the bright lights, he is increasingly taken aback by and drawn to the love showered on him by fans. He flew to Chicago Friday morning (and flew home before the event was over) and sat below the lights on the stage at the Ramova Theatre, the new venue for SoxFest Live in Bridgeport, where Chuck Garfien announced that Buehrle would have a statue unveiled at Rate Field on July 11.
The Sox will be recognizing the 20th anniversary of the World Series title throughout the season.
“Insane. Unbelievable,” Buehrle said of the statue. “Kind of at a loss for words. They retired my number [in 2007] and it’s an incredible honor. To put a statue up, of me, out there, forever. I guess the number could be unretired and get taken out and put it back into play. But the statue, unless someone tears it down or does something to it, it’s always going to be there.”
Buehrle’s statue will be the 10th at Sox Park, along with Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko, Minnie Minoso, Carlton Fisk, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Charles Comiskey and Harold Baines.
“When it happens, you don’t know how to act,” Buehrle said. “You don’t know what to do when it comes to this because you don’t play for it.”
You shouldn’t bet against Buehrle winning a popularity contest among the 10, and not just because he worked quickly, “like he was trying to get to the bar before it closed,” comedian Kevin Bozeman said at SoxFest Live. He was modest, down to earth and a tireless worker, consistent and effective through 12 seasons with the Sox and 16 in the majors.
The love from fans is mutual, demonstrated by Buehrle when he bought a round of beers for the house.
“This is home,” Buehrle said. “Spent most of my career here and would have loved to finish out here. But that’s business and everything that is involved with that. I love coming back here.
“Cheers, people going crazy, it’s so weird to me. It’s just me, Mark. Why are people going crazy like this?”
Buehrle received just 11.4% of Hall of Fame votes this year, enough to keep him on the ballot, but well short of the 75% needed for induction.
“I’m literally just honored to be on the ballot this many years,” he said. “Just getting my name on the first, I was like, ‘Man if I can just stay on for another year.” And now we are going into Year 6. I mean, literally giving me goosebumps.”
And why was Reinsdorf calling, Buehrle wondered, on that day he was cutting grass? If he only knew the call would do the same thing.
“I look down, it’s beeping on my butt, and it’s Jerry and I’m like, s—, do I really not take this call right now?” Buehrle said.
Buehrle finished cutting grass and went in and called his old boss a little later.
With Buehrle, the task at hand always came first. Talking was for later.
“It’s the way I am,” he said. “[I don’t miss] the media attention, the autograph people. I’m so used to being back home and not having to deal with any of these.”